Keyboarding skills may be important prerequisites for LD students' effective and efficient computer use. The two goals of this study were to examine LD students ' acquisition of keyboarding skills over 7 hours of instruction and to assess the differential effects of drill-and-practice and game formats on students' keyboarding speed and accuracy, attitudes, and continuing motivation to practice keyboarding. Results indicated that, although students made statistically significant gains in keyboarding speed over the course of the study, format had no effect on skill acquisition and attitudes. The game format, however, appeared to have a detrimental effect on students' continuing motivation. Implications for keyboarding instruction, software selection, and future research are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BalajthyE. (1988). Keyboarding, language arts, and the elementary school child. The Computing Teacher, 75 (5), 40–43.
2.
BanduraA., & SchunkD.H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal selfmotivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41586–598.
3.
BehymerJ., & EchternachtL. (1987). Keyboarding instruction—A comparison of second and third grade students. Business Education Forum, 41 (3), 30–32.
4.
BemD.J. (1967). Self-perception: An alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena. Psychological Review, 74, 183–200.
5.
BemD.J. (1972). Self-perception theory. In BerkowitzL. (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 6, pp.1–62). New York: Academic Press.
6.
BradyH. (1984). Who needs ten-finger typing?Classroom Computer Learning, 5, 64–71.
7.
CalderB.J., & StawB.M. (1975). Self-perception of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and School Psychology, 31, 599–605.
8.
ChristensenC.A., & GerberM.M. (1986). Effects of game format in computerized drill and practice on development of automaticity in single digit addition for learning disabled students. (Project Teech Tech. Rep.No. 29).Santa Barbara: University of California.
9.
CraigheadD., & SwitzerM.E. (1983). Is typing the key to computer literacy?Instructor, 93, 178–202.
10.
CrealockC., & SitkoM. (1987). A comparison between computer and paper-and-pencil technologies in writing training with learning disabled students (Res. monograph). London, Ontario, Canada: Centre of Communicative and Cognitive Disabilities.
11.
DiauteC. (1985). Writing and computers.Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
12.
DigmanJ.M. (1959). Growth of a motor skill as a function of distribution of practice. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 57, 311.
13.
FisherCD. (1975). The effects of personal control, competence, and extrinsic motivation. Organisational Behavior and Human Performance, 14, 398–415.
14.
FoucheG. (1987). Learn to keyboard in just ten hours. Business Education Forum, 41 (4), 14–15.
15.
GerlachG.J. (April, 1987). The effect of typing skill on using a word processor for composition. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Washington, DC.
16.
GlaserB.G., & StraussA.L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory.Chicago: Aldine.
HuynhH., & FeldtL.S. (1976). Estimation of Box correction for degrees of freedom from sample data in randomized block and split-pilot designs. Journal of Educational Statistics, 1, 69–82.
19.
JacksonTH., & BergD. (1986). Elementary keyboarding: Is it important?The Computing Teacher, 13 (3), 8–11.
20.
KelleyH. (1967). Attribution theory in social psychology. In LevineD. (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (Vol. 15, pp. 192–238). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
21.
KelleyH.H. (1973). The processes of causal attribution. American Psychologist, 28, 107–128.
22.
LeeD.Y.SyrnykR., & HallschmidC. (1977). Self-perception of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: Effects on institutionalized mentally retarded adolescents. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 81, 331–337.
23.
LepperM.R., & GreeneD. (1978). Overjustification research and beyond: Toward a means-ends analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In LepperM.R. & GreeneD. (Eds.), The hidden cost of reward: New perspectives on the psychology of human motivation (pp. 109–148). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
24.
LepperM.R., & MaloneT.W. (1987). Intrinsic motivation and instructional effectiveness in computer-based education. In R.SnowE. & MaloneT. W. (Eds.), Aptitude, learning, and instruction:Vol. 3. Conative and affective processes (pp. 255–286). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
25.
MacArthurC.A. (1988). The impact of computers on the writing process. Exceptional Children, 54, 536–542.
26.
MaloufD. (1987-88). The effect of instructional computer games on continuing student motivation. Journal of Special Education, 21, 27–38.
27.
MorganM. (1984). Reward-induced decrements and increments in intrinsic motivation. Review of Educational Research, 54, 5–30.
28.
NeumanS.B., & MoroccoC.C. (1987). Two hands is hard for me: Keyboarding and learning disabled children. Educational Technology, 27, 36–38.
29.
NeumanS.B., & Cobb-MoroccoC. (1987-88). Writing with word processors for remedial students. The Computing Teacher, 75 (9), 45–47, 61.
30.
OkoloC. (1988). Relationships between instructional and motivational attributes of mathematics computer-assisted instruction. Manuscript submitted for publication.
31.
OkoloC. (1989). Cultural differences in LD students'perceptions and uses of computer-assisted instruction. Final report submitted to U.S Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
32.
PittmanT.S.BoggianoA.K., & RubleD.N. (1983). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations: Limiting the conditions on the undermining and enhancing effects of reward on intrinsic motivation. In LevineJ.M. & WangC. (Eds.), Teacher and student perceptions: Implications for learning (pp. 319–340). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
33.
SindelarP.T.AllmanC.MondaL.VailC.O.WilsonC.L., & SchlossP.J. (1988). The power of hypothesis testing in special education efficacy research. Journal of Special Education, 22, 284–296.
34.
StewartJ., & JonesP.W. (1983). Keyboarding instruction: Elementary school options. Business Education Forum, 37 (7), 11–12.
35.
SuttlesA.L. (1983). Computers and writing: Contemporary research and innovative programs. Computers in Reading and Language Arts, 1, 33–37.
36.
WessonC. (1984). Student versus teacher selection of instructional activities. Teacher Education and Special Education, 7, 27–33.
WronkovichM.H. (1988). The relationship of early keyboarding instruction to computer proficiency. Educational Technology, 28 (9), 42–47.
39.
ZuckermanM.PoracJ.LathinD.SmithFL, & DeciE.L. (1978). On the importance of self-determination for intrinsically motivated behavior. Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 443–446.
